Newb Guide to not Annoying everyone

[Llewndyn]

Ah, Ghallanda... it's like we have amnesia. We also have amnesia.

Anyway, I was one of those outspoken opponents of the "CON is not a dumpstat" type posts trying to teach newbs how not to turn into noobs, because they littered these very forums and it was all common sense stuff that people should know. Apparently, not flooding the forums with common sense rules means people assume they can completely forget how to act in an MMORPG. Allow me to help you.

So, you downloaded the game, made a character with Deth, Death, or Blood, and added Skul or Skull on the end for a COMPLETELY original name, and now you are ready to hit the scene and become everyone's favorite shuriken specialist paladin/bard/rogue dwarf on the server. Not so fast!

Here are some gentle suggestions before you even set foot on lovely Korthos Island:

1. Listen to yourself speak. Now amplify that by a factor of 5. If you now sound like Fran Drescher or Barbara Streisand, typing in party chat is your best bet. No one wants to actually HEAR Wail of the Banshee, it's been nerfed. Nerf your wail, too.

2. Have you gone to the bathroom and grabbed a snack? If not, and especially if you are the "healer", please make boom-boom before you start a long quest or raid.

3. What is your CON (Constitution) score? If it's a single digit, you did it wrong. Yes, yes, I know, "I'm a *insert caster class*, nothing will ever touch me!" But what if it does? No, seriously, what if it does? It's great to start with 20 or 22 INT/ CHA/ WIS, really, it is. But being really smart or really good looking doesn't help when you are riding in my backpack. Bragging about how high your Intelligence is while the rest of us idiots do the quest for you means YOU are the weak link, not us. I know the old standard was 14 CON, I would still shoot for that, 12 though should be the bare minimum. Can you get away with less? Yep, but the more buffer you have the less you put a drain on the party.

Once you've checked these important items, Feel free to explore Korthos. The following list is some pet peeves and things you might think about during your stay in lovely Stormreach:

1. If you are level 1, or really less than level 3, and new, stay on Korthos. I know some people who know the mechanics of the game want to try certain quests and so will go do them, but if you are new the korthos set of gear will help you until you are at least level 5 or 6... Don't ignore what is really easy xp and easy money. Korthos is there to teach you how to play the game, as it hits each of the integral themes that plays out in the rest of the game (protect X, go through traps and do puzzle, find turncoat, etc). Immediately going to Stormreach because you "don't have time for wimpy stuff" and then dying over and over because you have 25 HP is only going to make it so no one wants to run with you and will frustrate you to no end.

2. If you have to log out, leave the group. It's a small thing, but it's annoying to just log off and take up a party slot until the leader boots you. We don't know if you DCed or not, and a lot of leaders will hold for 5 minutes before popping a chest to see if you come back. You're wasting our time.

3. If you die, and there are still people alive and no one told you to recall out, DON'T RECALL OUT. I've been in a disturbing amount of PUGs where people will die, recall out, heal up, and jump back in. WE incur a penalty when you do that. There's no reason for it. As a side note, if there is a druid in the party standing in front of you swaying back and forth slowly, he/she is trying to raise you... recalling while the inanely slow animation is going on will get you on a DNG list.

4. If you are a warforged and do NOT have the ability to heal yourself through SPELLS or SCROLLS, take healing amp. You are nothing more than a liability to the party if you are completely immune to healing spells and there are no WF healers in the party. Drinking repair pots to replenish 400 hp at 15-20 a pop makes you pretty much useless. WHEN you die, not if, but WHEN you die, and I bring you back from the dead (on the off chance you don't recall like number 3), if you are out of potions, I will not raise you again. You get a backpack ride to the shrine. having vampiric stonedust wraps does NOT count as being self sufficient. You suck.

5. Get a CON +6 item and at LEAST a greater false life item if you are level 14 or above. I have 3 on AH for a 10k buyout at any given time. I hand them out because it helps me when you aren't dead the whole time because you are a level 18 sorc with 184 HP. If you can survive on that and never die, great; I know people who can and this isn't for them. This is for the people who have those stats, 10 more SP than my level 16 druid (and you are a sorc), and are constantly on echoes of power and so spend most of the quest hitting CR 28 Hezrous in elite Spinner with a quarterstaff. You are not going to kill them. You did NOT kill them. They turned and punched you through the space time continuum and you had a negative HP number that was greater than your positive HP. They won.

6. If we have a good leader giving us explicit jobs, do yours. No one thinks you're cool when you go aggro all the mobs in an area we were explicitly trying to skip and die, meaning we have to risk wiping to go get you. Going AFK the instant you die without saying anything makes you MOAR useless.

7. If you are in a big, well known guild, that may be impressive to you, but you still have to play the game and fight the monsters. If you die in the middle of belittling us because your guild level is so high, I'm going to laugh at you until you drop group. Mobs don't care what guild level you are in. They will kill you even if your guild level is 100. The same way they kill unguilded players: blunt force trauma to the face/ balls.

8. Do not put "BYOH" into your LFM if you yourself need heals because you brought 11 potions of cure serious wounds to a level 18 quest.

9. Do not put "know it" if you, the leader, do not in fact.... know it. Asking the group how they keep teleporting around the map in Shadow Crypt, or why everyone is screaming at you not to pick up the first journal in Sleeping Dust, means you have no reason to put up an LFM saying that.

10. Personal pet peeve, if you put IP in your LFM, be inside or by the actual quest. When I join an IP run, I am all buffed up, am usually within 5 seconds of getting to the quest, and want to waste as little time standing around ticking off boat buffs as possible. If you are all on the Stormglory Tempest, that means you are not IP. If I join and you want to wait for 2 healers (really? For Lords of Dust? Really?), you are wasting my time.

I'm sure there are others, and yes, there are lots of things veteran players do that is just as if not slightly more annoying, but the lack of common sense in the PUG scene on Ghallanda recently has made a post like this not only a good idea, but a must if we are to keep our image as drama free and classy players intact.

Thank you for reading/listening/ not throwing up at the **** poor forum colors.

[Bowser_Koopa]

I Bowserkoopa King of Awesome Lord of the Koopa Troopa's and over all Greatest Villain of all time am going to do something unexpected.

I actually agree with the OP, yes the OP I've had issues with before, the same OP who challenged me to make a bardcher with a chrucher that needs to hands....or something. Anyways I think it is a shame that the character creation screen and tutorials don't provide more information such as above for building characters. As to the other rants about BYOH, KNOW IT and people in level 100 guilds dying amazingly I agree with 95% of all that too. (Not sure what the other 5% is but I'm sure i disagree with something)

So yes newb's take an approach where you understand your the rookie and even though you have a capped toon on some other game, or have played tabletop for 25 years, DDO while based on D&D and an MMO is different from other games in the fact that you can break your character into gimptacularness.

Bowserkoopa,

That's right this isn't even remotely a troll post.

[Llewndyn]

I Bowserkoopa King of Awesome Lord of the Koopa Troopa's and over all Greatest Villain of all time am going to do something unexpected.

I actually agree with the OP, yes the OP I've had issues with before, the same OP who challenged me to make a bardcher with a chrucher that needs to hands....or something. Anyways I think it is a shame that the character creation screen and tutorials don't provide more information such as above for building characters. As to the other rants about BYOH, KNOW IT and people in level 100 guilds dying amazingly I agree with 95% of all that too. (Not sure what the other 5% is but I'm sure i disagree with something)

So yes newb's take an approach where you understand your the rookie and even though you have a capped toon on some other game, or have played tabletop for 25 years, DDO while based on D&D and an MMO is different from other games in the fact that you can break your character into gimptacularness.

Bowserkoopa,

That's right this isn't even remotely a troll post.

I tried a bardcher and then decided a mule would be a better use of a character slot, I just never came back onto the forums to tell you you were right and I was wrong because that messes up my system.

[Bowser_Koopa]

But you did tell me to build some more "flavored" or non traditional toons or something I don't know I'm a King I have minions for this sort of thing. But I am happy to hear that you didn't like bardchers because I was told they were going to take over the server or some nonsense. Anyways before I totally derail this thread. The single biggest thing I agree with in the OP is if you are in a quest or Raid and you are asked to do something do it, and do not assume to do something else, nothing gets you blacklisted by the people who actually bother to run raids and or quest than your listen/comprehend instructions/follow directions skill being over -9000

Bowserkoopa,

That's right another non troll post, and a DBZ reference, I'll have to find my inner evil by the end of today or else I'll turn into a good guy.

[PLUGintoTHEpowerLINE]

This is the gospel truth, folks ... this should be posted in General and New Player Tips.

And doing these things does not make you a *good* player, or an *expert* player, it makes you not an idiot. And for a lot of people, that's a) a major improvement and b) the best they can ever hope to be.

[Waaye]

This thread proves more than anything else that beginners, veterans, and elite players all need their own exclusive instances. The DDO community is already known as the worst of all the MMOs for showing intolerance/ Large numbers of new players are quitting before they reach level 12 with their first character. Those newcomers are absolutely essential to DDO remaining online and it helps no one if they tell twenty of their friends to try something else.

The problem has gotten so bad that I can't sell good items for reasonable prices and have to sell them for a fraction of their value. Notr surprising since elite players generally don't need a Giant's Roar, Wraithskin, or whatever?

[RTFM]

On Khyber we suggest all our newer player follow these guidelines:

https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...yers-on-Khyber

[gypsythief]

Ah, Ghallanda... it's like we have amnesia. We also have amnesia.

Anyway, I was one of those outspoken opponents of the "CON is not a dumpstat" type posts trying to teach newbs how not to turn into noobs, because they littered these very forums and it was all common sense stuff that people should know. Apparently, not flooding the forums with common sense rules means people assume they can completely forget how to act in an MMORPG. Allow me to help you.

So, you downloaded the game, made a character with Deth, Death, or Blood, and added Skul or Skull on the end for a COMPLETELY original name, and now you are ready to hit the scene and become everyone's favorite shuriken specialist paladin/bard/rogue dwarf on the server. Not so fast!

Here are some gentle suggestions before you even set foot on lovely Korthos Island:

1. Join a quest and begin screaming into your mic, doing your best impression of an ambulance. Make sure you're the healer and you do a good job of healing so everyone has to take it instead of kicking you

2. Find a ramp that everyone has to move up to advance a quest. Cast grease. Continue doing this until they reform.

3. Go into a quest that says "Don't Die". Grease the leader or Kormor's him in the middle of a spinning blade trap. Laugh.

4. Get a good chunky gob of phlegm in your throat. Take Push to talk off, and gargle it the entire quest, adding in coughs and farts to reckless abandon

5. Join a quest that is marked for normal, the leader says normal, no zerg, then halfway through tell everyone they should stop being wimps and do it on elite. Once you convince them to reform and run on Elite, die first, call them noobs and drop party and put up your own Normal LFG for the same quest. Bonus points if you were the healer.

6. Join a shroud, wait 6 or 7 minutes, when they tell you they are all in, ask for ship buffs. Go hit the dummy for 2 damage per hit. Better when you are the healer for this one too, or the caster.

7. Join a group and link all your epic items, whether or not they are for your class or you are running Korthos elites at level is of no consequence

8. Join a run, die by the shrine, recall out instead of shrining, run back in before anyone knows what you were doing. When they complain later, blame the leader for not being clear that you could not recall out.

9. Join a shroud as a healer, when they ask if you've done it before don't say anything. In part 4, while they are fighting the dragon, cast blade barrier twice and then stand there doing nothing else. Don't cast blade barrier near the bad guys, just on yourself. Then exclaim it's your first time healing a shroud.

10. Join a group. Find out one of the players is a girl. Hit on her the ENTIRE QUEST, even if she sounds like she's 12. Go into graphic detail about the many things you can do with your tongue and how much you work out. Assume the silence is awe.

I'm sure there are others, and yes, there are lots of things veteran players do that is just as if not slightly more annoying, but the lack of common sense in the PUG scene on Ghallanda recently has made a post like this not only a good idea, but a must if we are to keep our image as drama free and classy players intact.

Thank you for reading/listening/ not throwing up at the **** poor forum colors.

FTFY!



(sorry, couldn't resist )

[Karavek]

This thread proves more than anything else that beginners, veterans, and elite players all need their own exclusive instances. The DDO community is already known as the worst of all the MMOs for showing intolerance/ Large numbers of new players are quitting before they reach level 12 with their first character. Those newcomers are absolutely essential to DDO remaining online and it helps no one if they tell twenty of their friends to try something else.

The problem has gotten so bad that I can't sell good items for reasonable prices and have to sell them for a fraction of their value. Notr surprising since elite players generally don't need a Giant's Roar, Wraithskin, or whatever?

This is alot closer to the truth then anything else in this thread. New comers to DDO who dare to try it against all the odds with the bad worth of mouth this game gets on every MMO gamer site and mmo forum I have ever heard it spoken of on, the leetist here continue to think such over the top attacks on new comer threads like this will do other then tell prospective players browsing the forums to not even bother DLing it to give it a try.

Although it would be little more then a band aid to the current issue i suggest a server made just for VIPs and in fact lock out other servers to them as in my experience most still subbing are among the worst of the die hard leetist who see their 7 years of subbing as buying them supreme authority over all others who play, such an attitude is worse then game killing when it frequently is encountered by new comers.

[Karavek]

Seriously the only positive way the IP could approach this is to play full time mellow and friendly mentor in game to new players on korthos. I doubt that will happen ofcourse because its pretty obvious from the OP that he thinks just spewing this vitriol here passes for teaching players how to become optimal in how they approach the game rather then actually do so in a manner that wont turn most new comers off the game immedietly.

One needs to stop trying to play having expectations of others. Its expecting anything from others besides simple company to banter with while adventuring that is the root of the whole issue. If your going to pug learn to live and let live without having issue with how others are approaching the game, otherwise just be a good little xenophobic run in guild/channels only player and isolate yourself rather then inflict yourself on the general community.

Likewise if die hard leet vets would stop expecting there to be any real challenge in sucha static design of game play, accpeting that no dif in the game should be geared toward being optinal but instead focus on making it actually fun and interesting to partake in each time, perhaps the devs could start developing content that doesnt just end up ignored by the playerbase as for example so many who choose still to purely TR rather then ever waste time on the time sink of HP bloated mobs in epic content.

Alot of people far more enjoy a game where anything but the very occasional super monster is little more then a 1-3 hit kill. this is why so many love DDO at lower lvls where witha half way good build and weapon you can feel like a real sword swinging hero.

I personally spend most of the little time i give DDO anymore soloing challenges so as to protect new players from my own hide bound hang ups, and avoid the hard cores who make an attempt to pug such a mood killer as they feel the need to have any non forum approved cookie cutter build explained to them in detail before theya re willing to risk pugging anything anymore.

D&D doesnt work as an MMO for that reason more then any other, the one the OP displays so clearly. The I know more then you so listen to me and play how I play or dont play at all attitude. He was probably one of those DMs that would threaten to boot you from the group if you wanted to use something from a book he didnt personally own and know how to abuse.

[PLUGintoTHEpowerLINE]

One needs to stop trying to play having expectations of others. Its expecting anything from others besides simple company to banter with while adventuring that is the root of the whole issue. If your going to pug learn to live and let live without having issue with how others are approaching the game, otherwise just be a good little xenophobic run in guild/channels only player and isolate yourself rather then inflict yourself on the general community.

Expecting people to be able to follow simple directions is not an unreasonable expectation. Expecting people to be able to do their jobs in the group, as either designed by their class, or designated by the leader, is not an unreasonable expectation. Expecting people not to be mindless, brain-dead idiots that only contribute to dungeon scaling and -10% is not an unreasonable expectation.

Wanting a smooth completion with a fair amount of XP at the end does not a xenophobe or elitist make.

Yes, there are certain things that new players have to learn. They also have to be *willing* to learn, and have willing teachers. They also need the basic ability to read, listen, comprehend, and follow. They have to accept that they might not know everything that there is to know, and submit to somebody who's trying to instruct, without their pride getting in the way.

[SirValentine]

Expecting people to be able to follow simple directions is not an unreasonable expectation.

Agreed!

Expecting people not to be mindless, brain-dead idiots that only contribute to dungeon scaling and -10% is not an unreasonable expectation.

Agreed!

Wanting a smooth completion with a fair amount of XP at the end does not a xenophobe or elitist make.

Agreed!

Expecting people to be able to do their jobs in the group, as either designed by their class, or designated by the leader, is not an unreasonable expectation.

That is totally unreasonable.

You have no idea what they've built, geared, or play their character to do. You have no reasonable expectation that the character someone is playing conforms to whatever predetermined idea you have of what the "job" is according to how you think their class "should" be played.

Expecting people to make a positive contribution toward completion is not an unreasonable expectation at all. But expecting that they automatically contribute in some specific way when you don't know their character sure is.

[Bowser_Koopa]

What we are saying here on the forums is, everyone join ddo make a 6 int wizard and a 22 cha rogue it's ok just show up everything will be alright so long as we're having fun.

Is this what I'm reading? I mean I'm all for the good guys dying horrible deaths but what sort of villain would I be if Mario just repeatedly ran into the first goomba and never learned?

I get that we should be "friendly" to new players but ignoring the fact they set themselves up to fail or for some reason find enjoyment in dying seems silly to me.

Bowserkoopa,

If Mario learned to avoid the goomba new players can learn to avoid less than 14 Con

[keveniaftw]

I tried a bardcher and then decided a mule would be a better use of a character slot, I just never came back onto the forums to tell you you were right and I was wrong because that messes up my system.

Unfortunatly for you, there is a difference between 'said class split/race is bad', and 'I totally messed up my points/feats/skills/hair color'. I actually suspected it when you told me you were going to make a few major changes to the build I suggested. I am in no way responsible that your version turned out to be useless.

You didn't try a true bardcher, you tried the combination of a bard and a ranger

That is all

[Llewndyn]

FTFY!



(sorry, couldn't resist )

Wait a minute, I reread all of those and they are cut and pasted from my other posts...

I have my very own DDO stalker now? <3 <3

I've finally arrived!

[Llewndyn]

This is alot closer to the truth then anything else in this thread. New comers to DDO who dare to try it against all the odds with the bad worth of mouth this game gets on every MMO gamer site and mmo forum I have ever heard it spoken of on, the leetist here continue to think such over the top attacks on new comer threads like this will do other then tell prospective players browsing the forums to not even bother DLing it to give it a try.

Although it would be little more then a band aid to the current issue i suggest a server made just for VIPs and in fact lock out other servers to them as in my experience most still subbing are among the worst of the die hard leetist who see their 7 years of subbing as buying them supreme authority over all others who play, such an attitude is worse then game killing when it frequently is encountered by new comers.

If you look through my post history (apparently ask Gypsythief), I have LONG been a leetist hater. The rules I put up there are BASIC things anyone should know. I started playing the week this game went F2P, and the only other MMOs had played were 2Moons and Battlefield 2, both RIFE with griefing, and I knew what behavior was right and wrong. I knew, the FIRST day I made a character on this game (an elven bard with 11 CHA, those were the days...) that squealing like an idiot into the mic was wrong. I knew within my first week that recalling out would annoy people. I knew after my first build that Constitution was important on my own, and rerolled and fixed that.

If you're a new player and you need to be told to not scream into the mic, to make boom boom before you start a long quest, to have basic decency, then yes, you need to find another game, and tell your 20 like minded friends to kick rocks with you.

If that makes me elitist, then so be it.

[Bowser_Koopa]

If you look through my post history (apparently ask Gypsythief), I have LONG been a leetist hater. The rules I put up there are BASIC things anyone should know. I started playing the week this game went F2P, and the only other MMOs had played were 2Moons and Battlefield 2, both RIFE with griefing, and I knew what behavior was right and wrong. I knew, the FIRST day I made a character on this game (an elven bard with 11 CHA, those were the days...) that squealing like an idiot into the mic was wrong. I knew within my first week that recalling out would annoy people. I knew after my first build that Constitution was important on my own, and rerolled and fixed that.

If you're a new player and you need to be told to not scream into the mic, to make boom boom before you start a long quest, to have basic decency, then yes, you need to find another game, and tell your 20 like minded friends to kick rocks with you.

If that makes me elitist, then so be it.

I Bowserkoopa King of the Koopa's and evil villain extraordinaire dub thee elitist in training. Wear your new badge with honor and enjoy all the mostly senseless hatred that comes with it.

Bowserkoopa,

Has been told he hates all noobs, newbs and casual players for so long he is starting to think he might as well do it.

[Llewndyn]

Seriously the only positive way the IP could approach this is to play full time mellow and friendly mentor in game to new players on korthos. I doubt that will happen ofcourse because its pretty obvious from the OP that he thinks just spewing this vitriol here passes for teaching players how to become optimal in how they approach the game rather then actually do so in a manner that wont turn most new comers off the game immedietly.

One needs to stop trying to play having expectations of others. Its expecting anything from others besides simple company to banter with while adventuring that is the root of the whole issue. If your going to pug learn to live and let live without having issue with how others are approaching the game, otherwise just be a good little xenophobic run in guild/channels only player and isolate yourself rather then inflict yourself on the general community.

Likewise if die hard leet vets would stop expecting there to be any real challenge in sucha static design of game play, accpeting that no dif in the game should be geared toward being optinal but instead focus on making it actually fun and interesting to partake in each time, perhaps the devs could start developing content that doesnt just end up ignored by the playerbase as for example so many who choose still to purely TR rather then ever waste time on the time sink of HP bloated mobs in epic content.

Alot of people far more enjoy a game where anything but the very occasional super monster is little more then a 1-3 hit kill. this is why so many love DDO at lower lvls where witha half way good build and weapon you can feel like a real sword swinging hero.

I personally spend most of the little time i give DDO anymore soloing challenges so as to protect new players from my own hide bound hang ups, and avoid the hard cores who make an attempt to pug such a mood killer as they feel the need to have any non forum approved cookie cutter build explained to them in detail before theya re willing to risk pugging anything anymore.

D&D doesnt work as an MMO for that reason more then any other, the one the OP displays so clearly. The I know more then you so listen to me and play how I play or dont play at all attitude. He was probably one of those DMs that would threaten to boot you from the group if you wanted to use something from a book he didnt personally own and know how to abuse.

PM me your character names so I can join your group and:

1. Scream obscenities into the mic until my mom walks by, then leave in the middle of a quest because "dinner time"
2. Die. Often. Raise, not drink any pots, run into mobs, and die. In a level 16 quest (you'd think by level 16 I'd know what I was doing)
3. Join a quest, hop in, and go afk bio for 45 minutes, always getting back JUST in time to get the xp
4. Run around like a chicken with it's head cut off and aggro all sorts of mobs, then bring em back to you. After I die, I will rez out while you're trying to raise me, then ask for ship buffs.

I am not rude to even people who do these things most of the time. I'm really not. Most of the time, though, they bring a lot of negative attention onto themselves and get insulted, and most claim they do not know why. I point most of them to these here forums, so even if they don't agree with why they're being chastised, they now know why.

I am not asking them to know what DR is. I am not asking them to know how to break into the high DCs. I'm asking them to have a little common courtesy.

RE: your suggestion that I spend all of my time on Korthos teaching newbs: No. I learned on my own. Korthos does a bang up job of teaching you how to play this game. If you can't make it through Korthos, you won't make it through Harbor. It's not my job to teach you how to play the game. I know that flies in the face of 2009 Llewndyn's ideals, but I am man/bard enough to admit I was wrong then.

[Llewndyn]

I Bowserkoopa King of the Koopa's and evil villain extraordinaire dub thee elitist in training. Wear your new badge with honor and enjoy all the mostly senseless hatred that comes with it.

Bowserkoopa,

Has been told he hates all noobs, newbs and casual players for so long he is starting to think he might as well do it.

I assume I will get some initiate robes and an open invite to learn the appropriate chants.

How's the dental plan?

[Bowser_Koopa]

I assume I will get some initiate robes and an open invite to learn the appropriate chants.

How's the dental plan?

Being the bad guys we have a much better dental and health plan than the good guys. At least if your not named "nameless henchman" Even then you do pretty well.

Really I am mildly shocked at the grief you are getting for this thread, but I've come to think that unless your the player that constantly hangs out on Korthos handing out tomes and millions of plat you automatically become qualified as an Elitist.

As to the comment someone made here of "don't expect anything from people" that is just plain silly. Generally LFM's are put up to get more players to come and beat a quest/raid because either the party leader can't solo it, or because the party leader wants to do it faster than just plain soloing it and sometimes maybe in some other circle of people I don't run with to socialize with new random people on the interweb. Although I thought that is what chatrooms are for. Anyways expecting people to contribute to completing the quest in some manner does not seem like a crazy expectation to me.

Bowserkoopa,

Yes I expect my minions to perform their tasks